Chapter 4: Mouth States for Packages

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Mouth States (Closed / Open / Roar) for Packages

Heads, Jaws & Feeding Systems for Creature Concept Artists

When you design a creature’s head, you’re not just designing a static shape—you’re designing a range of states that will be used in gameplay, cinematics, UI portraits, and marketing art.

For Heads, Jaws & Feeding Systems, three core mouth states show up in almost every production:

  • Closed – neutral, idle, resting.
  • Open / speak / feed – interaction, breathing, soft attacks.
  • Roar / extreme – maximum expression for threat, pain, or dramatic moments.

For creature concept artists, treating these states as a standard package is powerful:

  • On the concepting side, it forces you to design mouths that look good and logical in motion, not just as cool still shapes.
  • On the production side, it gives riggers and animators clear targets: what neutral looks like, what typical opens look like, and what the extreme limits are.

In this article we’ll explore how to design and present mouth states for:

  • Jaws (vertebrate‑style)
  • Beaks
  • Mandibles
  • Proboscises

We’ll frame everything around how to build mouth state packages that are readable, rig‑friendly, and emotionally expressive.

1. Why Mouth State Packages Matter

A single beauty render of a creature’s head doesn’t tell the whole story.

Animation teams need to know:

  • How far the mouth can open without breaking.
  • What happens to cheeks, lips, tongues, palates, filters, and mandibles in each state.
  • Where teeth and internal structures start to collide or separate.

Design teams need to know:

  • What the creature looks like when calm vs threatening.
  • How much range they can get from this head in cinematics.
  • What the silhouette looks like at each level of expression.

A standard package of closed / open / roar mouth states solves this:

  • You define the neutral baseline, the typical working state, and the extreme expression.
  • You bake in function (feeding, speaking, breathing) and emotion (snarl, roar, screech).

2. Principles of Mouth States

Before diving into each mouth type, a few global principles apply.

2.1 Consistent Landmarks

Across closed, open, and roar states, certain landmarks should remain consistent:

  • Jaw hinge position.
  • Length of upper and lower elements (jaws, beaks, mandibles).
  • Placement of key teeth, fangs, or plates.

You can stretch and deform around these, but the basic mechanics shouldn’t magically change from state to state.

2.2 Increasing Complexity with Each State

A good package reveals more as the mouth opens:

  • Closed – outer silhouette, hints of teeth or beak shape.
  • Open – inner teeth, tongue, partial view of palates or filters.
  • Roar – full revelation: inner mouth color, deep structures, frills, membranes, baleen analogs.

This creates a sense of escalation and gives animators and marketing art more dramatic poses to work with.

2.3 Silhouette & Readability at Each State

At each state, ask:

  • From a distance, can you tell whether the mouth is closed, slightly open, or at full roar?
  • Do the shapes of the jaw line, mandible span, or proboscis angle change enough to read in silhouettes?

Small interior tweaks might not show in gameplay, so rely on big shape changes (jaw angle, mandible spread, proboscis extension) for game cameras.

3. Jaws: Closed / Open / Roar

Vertebrate‑style jaws are the most familiar and are often used for humanoids, beasts, and dragons.

3.1 Closed – Neutral State

In the closed state, focus on:

  • Clean alignment of upper and lower teeth or beak edges.
  • Natural lip line or scale overlap.
  • Overall head silhouette.

Design notes:

  • Fangs may protrude slightly for character, but they should still look like the mouth can comfortably seal.
  • Jaw muscles and cheeks should look relaxed; no excessive tension.

Production usage:

  • Default idle pose.
  • UI portraits, character select screens.
  • Baseline for facial rig.

3.2 Open – Functional State

The open state is your workhorse for:

  • Eating.
  • Speaking or vocalizing.
  • Light attacks (snaps, small bites).

Design the open state so that:

  • The jaw rotates to a plausible angle (often 20–40° for vertebrate‑like creatures; more for fantasy).
  • Tongue and palate become partially visible.
  • Teeth separate cleanly without intersecting.

Visual storytelling:

  • Slight wrinkling at the mouth corners.
  • Subtle stretching of lips or skin.

Production usage:

  • Standard talking, breathing, or panting animation.
  • Non‑maximal combat barks.

3.3 Roar – Extreme State

The roar state is your maximum expression:

  • Jaw open as far as anatomy allows (or further for monsters).
  • Neck stretched or compressed.
  • Lips peeled back; nostrils flared.

Design the roar with:

  • Full visibility of inner mouth: tongue, palates, filters or baleen, uvula or equivalent structures.
  • Clear sense of volume inside the mouth, not just a flat opening.

Silhouette:

  • The head shape may change dramatically—jaw angles, neck posture, even additional frills or inner mandibles may deploy.

Production usage:

  • Ultimate attacks.
  • Intimidation sequences.
  • Key cinematic moments.

Provide:

  • Front and side views of the roar pose.
  • Notes showing which tissues stretch and which remain rigid.

4. Beaks: Closed / Open / Screech

Beaks don’t deform like fleshy jaws, but they still have expressive states.

4.1 Closed – Mask & Profile

With beaks, the closed state defines:

  • The “mask” of the face.
  • The main head silhouette.

Design details:

  • Overbite or underbite visible in profile.
  • Edges clean and aligned.

Consider personality:

  • Downturned beaks → stern or predatory.
  • Upturned or rounded beaks → friendly or comical.

4.2 Open – Articulation & Tongue

In the open state:

  • Lower (and sometimes upper) beak rotates away.
  • Tongue becomes visible.

Design:

  • Show how far the beak can open before joints look broken.
  • Indicate hinge location and any soft tissue at the mouth corners.

Production usage:

  • Dialogue or screech animation.
  • Feeding behaviors (pecking, grabbing).

4.3 Screech / Extreme Beak State

A beak’s “roar” is often a screech or shriek pose:

  • Beak open to near max.
  • Throat or gular region expanded (pouch, skin flap, or feathers flaring).

Visual interest:

  • Throat color contrasting with outer beak.
  • Palatal ridges, secondary beak edges, or filter structures revealed.

Silhouette:

  • Neck and head posture plus occasional crest or feather flare sell emotion more than beak shape alone.

Provide orthos of:

  • Beak closed.
  • Beak half‑open (typical state).
  • Beak full open + neck/throat expansion.

5. Mandibles: Folded / Partial Spread / Full Spread

Mandibles are naturally multi‑state—they can fold tight, partially open, or flare in dramatic displays.

5.1 Folded – Closed State

“Closed” for mandibles usually means:

  • Mandibles tucked near the head.
  • Tips almost touching or lightly crossed.

Design:

  • Make sure closed mandibles don’t block vision or obviously stab the creature itself.
  • The head silhouette should still be appealing and recognizable.

Production usage:

  • Idle and non‑threatening states.
  • Background ambient behavior.

5.2 Partial Spread – Working State

The open or working state:

  • Mandibles spread enough to grab or manipulate objects.
  • Inner mouth becomes partially visible.

Design details:

  • Angle and arc of mandible swing.
  • Overlap or underlap pattern where mandibles pass each other.

This is the state for:

  • Regular feeding.
  • Light attack snaps.

5.3 Full Spread – Threat / Roar Equivalent

The mandible “roar” is a full flare:

  • Mandibles spread to their max range.
  • Inner mouth, tongue, proboscis, or filters fully exposed.

Silhouette:

  • Head may transform significantly—apparent width increases, new shapes appear.

Concept opportunities:

  • Hidden eyes or bioluminescent patterns revealed in the flare.
  • Extra inner mandibles or teeth.

Production usage:

  • Charge‑up states.
  • Boss intro roars.

Provide:

  • A top‑down or front view showing full mandible spread.
  • Clear hinge/rotation arrows in callouts.

6. Proboscises: Retracted / Deployed / Overextended

Proboscises operate more by extension than by opening.

6.1 Retracted – Closed State

In the neutral closed state:

  • Proboscis is fully or mostly retracted.
  • It may sit within a sheath, between mandibles, or under a beak.

Design:

  • Ensure retraced shape fits plausibly within the head volume.
  • The head silhouette should make sense when the proboscis isn’t visible.

6.2 Deployed – Working State

The open state is where the proboscis is extended for normal use:

  • Length extended to typical feeding distance.
  • Angle aligned with expected target (flower, host, pool, etc.).

Design:

  • Indicate segmentation, surface textures, or barbs.
  • Show how a supporting jaw or beak might open to clear space.

Production:

  • This is the standard pose for interactive mechanics (drains, heals, probes).

6.3 Overextended – Extreme State

The roar equivalent for proboscis creatures may be an overextended or flared proboscis:

  • Maximum reach.
  • Extra inner stylets or petals opened.

Silhouette:

  • Head shape changes mostly through the extended appendage.

Use in design:

  • Threat displays: proboscis becomes a warning flag.
  • Attack telegraphs: full extension signals big incoming effect.

Callouts should show:

  • Fully retracted, mid extension, and max extension in profile.
  • How much flex or curl is possible at each state.

7. Mouth States & Emotion / Role Reads

Mouth states are also emotional states.

7.1 Emotional Ladder

You can treat closed / open / roar as an emotion ladder:

  • Closed – calm, neutral, reserved, cautious.
  • Open – engaged, speaking, tasting, mild threat.
  • Roar/extreme – enraged, terrified, ecstatic, in pain.

For each creature type, decide:

  • How much range you want between states.
  • Which state is most common in gameplay.

7.2 Role & Threat Level

Higher threat enemies may spend more time in open or roar states, while neutral wildlife may mostly stay closed.

Design your mouth state package to reflect:

  • Grunts – mostly closed or small opens.
  • Elites – more frequent open/roar transitions.
  • Bosses – dramatic roar sequences, multiple layered mouth states (outer jaw + inner mandibles + tongue).

8. Packaging Mouth States in Your Concept Sheets

To make your work usable, present mouth states clearly and consistently.

8.1 Standard Layout

For each creature, consider a page layout like:

  • Row 1: Side view – closed, open, roar.
  • Row 2: Front or 3/4 view – closed, open, roar.
  • Inset: Cutaway or callout of any special interior structures (tongue, palates, filters).

Mark:

  • Jaw hinge or mandible pivot with small circles.
  • Arrows for direction of motion.
  • Notes on angle ranges (e.g., “Max jaw open ≈ 70°”).

8.2 Color & Value Use

Use value and color to clarify:

  • Outer surfaces (skin, beak, mandible exoskeleton) vs inner mouth (tongue, palate, filters).

In roar states, you can:

  • Emphasize warm, saturated interior colors to draw the eye.
  • Keep outer head shapes slightly darker so the mouth reads as a dramatic focal point.

8.3 Annotating for Production Teams

Include short notes like:

  • “Closed = UI portrait / idle baseline.”
  • “Open = standard talk/attack; tongue motion subtle.”
  • “Roar = cinematic; inner mandibles flare and filters illuminate.”

This helps:

  • Animators decide which states to prioritize.
  • Tech artists know how far joints must travel.
  • Audio/VFX know when to add special treatments.

9. Practical Exercises for Mouth State Design

Exercise 1 – Three States, One Head

Pick a simple jawed creature (e.g., lizard, canine, or dragonling).

Design:

  • Closed, open, and roar states in side and front views.

Focus on:

  • Making each state clearly distinct in silhouette.
  • Ensuring all three look mechanically possible.

Exercise 2 – Mandible Flare Package

Design a mandible‑based creature.

Draw:

  • Folded (closed) mandibles.
  • Partial spread for feeding.
  • Full flare for threat.

Annotate joints and angles. Check that the full flare doesn’t break the head silhouette in an unintentional way.

Exercise 3 – Proboscis Extension Sheet

For a proboscis creature:

  • Sketch retracted, feeding extension, and maximum extension.

Indicate:

  • How the head silhouette changes at each stage.
  • Internal textures or segments revealed only at full extension.

10. Closing Thoughts

Mouth states are more than just “mouth open vs closed.” They’re a structured performance range you’re designing for your creature:

  • Closed: identity and neutrality.
  • Open: function and interaction.
  • Roar/extreme: drama and peak expression.

For concept‑side creature artists, designing and presenting these states:

  • Ensures your heads look good and readable at all levels of expression.
  • Gives you more tools to show personality and role.
  • Makes your portfolios feel production‑aware and game‑ready.

For production‑side concept artists, clear mouth state packages:

  • Provide solid blueprints for animators and riggers.
  • Minimize guessing about joint limits and interior structures.
  • Create shared targets for cinematics, VFX, and audio.

Next time you design a creature head with jaws, beaks, mandibles, or proboscises, ask:

  • What does closed really look like?
  • What is the functional, everyday open state?
  • What does maximum roar or flare actually reveal?

If you can answer those clearly—and show them in a consistent package—you’re not just painting cool monsters. You’re building reliable, expressive, and animatable head systems that belong in a real production pipeline.